PRESS RELEASES
Remarks by Ambassador Feltman
Launch of USAID's "Discover Lebanon" Products
September 22, 2004
Le Meridien Commodore Hotel
12:00-3:00 p.m.
22 September 2004
Your Excellency Minister of Tourism Dr. Ali Abdallah,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:
I am very pleased to be here with you today to launch three exciting
new projects aimed at promoting the growth and development of the
tourism economy in rural Lebanon. Although I have only been in Lebanon
a month, I can already appreciate the rich and diverse opportunities
for tourists from around the world to discover this beautiful and
hospitable country.
Despite the short time I have been in Lebanon I can already claim
to have traveled from the northern tip of the country-Monjez-to
the very south, where last week USAID Lebanon Mission Director Raouf
Youssef gave me an overview of the different sectors in which USAID
works. In a whirlwind tour, we visited USAID projects in Said, Azour,
Khiam, Meiss al Jabla, Bint Jbeil and Tyr.
Although it unlikely the solid waste management plant I inaugurated
in Bint Jbeil will become a tourist site, I hope Tyr's Museum for
Marine Wildlife will. USAID's Small Awards program provided support
to the museum to develop its services to attract both national and
international visitors. Similarly, in the area of Khiam, USAID provided
a grant to Mercy Corps to rehabilitate a historic hospital dating
from World War II. The underground hospital, initially built by
British troops based in Lebanon, was completed just as the war ended,
leaving the facility unused. A USAID grant will help make this interesting
site a destination for tourists.
Despite my good fortune to have seen these interesting sites, I
expect that I am like most tourists who visit Lebanon in that most
of my time is spent in Beirut. With all the magnificent countryside,
fascinating archeological sites and spectacular coastline, most
tourists never even leave the capital city. In fact, experts in
the tourism industry estimate that more than 90 percent of tourism
dollars are spent in and around Beirut, and a handful of well-known
sites. Elsewhere in the country, where so much awaits to be discovered,
tourism has brought minimal tangible economic benefits, such as
jobs, revenue, and infrastructure development.
In an effort to increase the flow of tourist dollars more equitably
around the country, USAID/Lebanon has partnered with SRI International
and other NGOs to promote economic development in rural Lebanon.
Working with the Ministry of Tourism and local communities throughout
the country, this successful partnership has sought ways to promote
the creation of new jobs, to train people, and to upgrade the quality
of tourism products in rural Lebanon.
Today, I am delighted to participate in this ceremony to launch
three new products-the Archeological Site Maps, the Promenade brochures
and the "Discover Lebanon" tours-which I believe will
do much to promote tourism in areas off Lebanon's beaten path. I
myself am eager to get out and to use the well-researched Archeological
Site Maps to learn more about Aanjar, the commercial hub of the
Umayyed Dynasty, about the Roman City that was once Baalbek, and
to breathe in the natural beauty and calm of the Qadisha valley
and cedars. I hope to return to Byblos-one of the few sites I have
visited-with map in hand to understand how this port played a role
as the ancient crossroads of the Mediterranean.
The Promenade brochures and the "Discover Lebanon" Tours
will, I believe, encourage visitors to explore both the well-known
and undiscovered areas of Lebanon. I can assure you plenty of interest
exists in learning more about what the country has to offer the
tourist. The official Ministry of Tourism website, created through
USAID's collaboration with SRI, has received more than 60,000 hits
in the few month since it was created. If you haven't already, take
a look at the site: www.DestinationLebanon.com It's a winner! I
got quite distracted myself reading about the opportunities for
travel and mulling over how I could create official excuses to get
out of the office as often as possible. The site, created in English,
will soon be fully translated into Arabic and French, significantly
increasing the number of potential visitors.
The website and the new products we are launching today-the Archeological
Site Maps, the Promenade brochures and the "Discover Lebanon"
tours-are the result of excellent cooperation between some dynamic
partners. I'm particularly pleased at the large of number municipalities
represented here today from every region of the country. Your interest
and support in the programs we sponsor are vital to their success.
You and the communities in which you live, work, and raise your
families are the backbone of this nation.
Your Excellency, Minister of Tourism Dr. Ali Abdallah, let me thank
you for your strong support of the tourism industry in general,
and in particular for USAID-sponsored programs in the tourism sector.
Your support ensures that the economic benefits of tourism accrue
throughout the country, bringing tourists and their dollars to the
many attractive sites throughout Lebanon.
Thank you all for joining us today-to celebrate International Tourism
Day and to launch our new products. I look forward to exploring
as much of Lebanon as possible in the coming years-and to visiting
as many of you as possible in your hometowns.
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